When Robert married Dorothy Lambton, of Hardwick, in 1744, his father - Edward of Mainsforth - was so displeased that he disinherited him. To spite his dad, Robert bought and rebuilt Redworth Hall, near Heighington. Robert's heiress was his daughter, Jane. Whoever married her would gain a fortune of £20,000 and Redford Grove. According to Hilary Jackson's history of Heighington, she was only 17 in 1769 when, urged on by her mother, she "rashly married her cousin Crosier Surtees, of Merryshields, who was a son of her father's brother". (Merryshields is probably near Hexham.) Says the Rev. Jackson: "Crosier was a mean and grasping man who had a brief and undistinguished career in the Durham Militia, the forerunner of Durham Light Infantry." His cap and portrait are on display in the DLI museum.
Crosier, who was 13 years older than his wife, treated her cruelly. In 1800, after 31 years of marriage, they separated - probably because Crosier was carrying on with a local farm lass. He lived out the end of his days with her in Pennington Rake, an isolated farm on the moors above the forest. Jane, meanwhile, took up with a clergyman. Crosier's days ended quite suddenly. In 1803, he was returning, very drunk, from a banquet with Lord Barnard in Raby Castle. Somewhere on the moors, his horse failed to negotiate a stream properly. He tumbled from the saddle, fell into the water, and froze to death."[Northern Echo, Feb 6, 2008 cited in Swindale Family History Notebook accessed 28 Nov 2010]
Note: Crosier was, in fact, living at Ewdean House very close to the site of the later Redford Grove. The stream where Crosier is said to have been found is Linburn Beck.

Crosier Surtees, esq., of Merrysheales in Northumberland, who then became also "of Redworth, in Durham". By his wife Jane Surtees, he had, to survive infancy, three sons and four daughters, namely,
I. Robert, his heir.
II. George.
III. James.
i. Jane, married to George Charles Mensforth, esq. an officer in the army.
ii. Dorothy, married to John Thomas Christopher, esq.
iii. Lambton, married to William Williams, esq., of Durham. [unlikely to = William Williams, father in law of Henry Tatham & of Charles Heathcote Tatham]
iv. Phillis, married to William Horne, esq., of London.
Mr. Surtees died 21st December, 1803, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Robert Surtees, esq., of Redworth.[John Burke; A genealogical and heraldic history of the commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, enjoying territorial possessions or high official rank: but uninvested with heritable honours; vol 2, p. 658; London: Henry Colburn; 1835]